Flawless
by Crocker
Summary: A Lost Tale of the Ninja Storm Rangers, and my deconstruction of the Gary Stu. Everyone hates a so called perfect character...but what happens when you take that concept...and turn it on its ear? And if you don't like that...there's lots of fighting!


**_Flawless _**

Writer's Note: Everyone has a secret delight that they conceal from others. Mine is the Power Rangers show. I'm at least a decade outside the age group that show shoots for, yet I always find myself watching it. True, the sub-par acting and lines tend to make me wince more then a few times, and there's been an episode or three where the whole thing screamed out to be the casting call for would be MiSTers. But all that aside, the show is about as close to a live action anime as there is, and besides, if that episode in (as of this writing) its latest incarnation, Dino Thunder, where the American rangers watch their Japanese counterparts, is accurate, the Japanese are even weirder then us.

Consider this a "Lost Tale" in the Ninja Storm storyline, between the points where Cam have achieved his Samurai Power and the coming of Vexacus and Shane's acquiring of his Battlelizer or whatever it was called. And may I point out that yes, on the surface this may appear to be another "Super Ranger Gary Stu" tale, but bear with me. I have a plan, and as the Ninja Storm Rangers will find out, sometimes a so-called invincible warrior on your side is the worst thing that can happen…

And if you disagree, well (pulls out a stamp) YOU GET AN F! (STAMP!) Now if you excuse me, I have to start the story, and finish it, and that takes time, because I don't have FAIRY GODPARENTS!

* * *

Blast From The Past, Part 1

As a certain film staring men in dark suits said, the human race is often much happier when it does not realize what is going on.

Hence perhaps it is best that the world is blissfully unaware of what floats in the stars above them. Let them believe it is nothing more then satellites and constellations. But you and I know better…

For above the planet Earth floats a massive black spaceship. Perhaps it is not the most refined vessel, but the occupants don't care much for sophistication. They have other, more important goals.

Like world conquest. Chaos and annihilation. And of course, the elimination of the six teenagers who stood of the way of the first two goals.

Of course, the last one was proving to be a considerably thorny issue.

He was Lothor, master of the ship and soon-to-be ruler of the Earth…in theory anyway. In reality…

Well, he didn't much like to dwell on it. Nothing was going the way he wanted it to go. Oh, at first everything seemed to be coming up roses. He'd arrived back on Earth in grand style, with what he believed was enough power to easily achieve his goals. He'd easily destroyed what he believed to be the lone obstacle in his quest: the Wind Ninja Academy, with the added delicious event of turning his hated brother into a hamster. He'd captured all the students of said Academy, and everything was good…

Until those blasted Wind Ninja Power Rangers had shown up. Oh, he'd thought them to just be a minor irritation at first. All of the Academy's best students were imprisoned on his ship. How much trouble could three half-rate and forth string posers be? He figured they'd set him back a week at most on his timetable.

That week had become two. Then three. And then…

A vein began to throb in Lothor's forehead. Moving ON…

Actually, maybe not, as it had grown worse. Not only had those "half-rate" students turn out to be very good at being Power Rangers, but they had been joined by others. First those blasted Thunder brothers, and then his annoying nephew with that Samurai power.

His minor obstacle had become a seemingly unmovable object. Every other day, he'd come up with a plan or recruit an alien that seemed to finally possess the solution to his headache, and every time it would fail. That, combined with his annoying as get all nieces, that incompetent Choobo, and his main general Zurgane constantly failing as well…well, Lothor wasn't happy most of the time. Heck, he was never happy. Which was a part of being evil, true, but one could only take it so far.

So he'd regrouped and began thinking. And in the end he'd hit upon a twist in an old phrase.

If you can't beat them, join them, and THEN beat them.

And so Lothor had devoted his efforts to making his own Morpher. And not just ANY Morpher, no. This one would put ALL those blasted Ranger's powers and abilities to shame. It would be the King of Rangers. He'd show those Ninja rejects and all their ancestors that a truly GOOD morpher could only be made by someone truly BAD. It might have heavily drained his resources, but it would all be worth it when it was completed.

And he had, after a great deal of hard work and frustration, completed it.

And once again, he found, life was going out of its way to spite him.

"NEXT!" he ordered, and a nervous Kelzac stepped forward. It looked warily at the smoking ground where, a moment ago, one of it's comrades had stood.

"Put it on! You know what to do!" Lothor snapped.

Down on the ground, smoke lazily drifting from it, was Lothor's morpher. The Kelzac nervously picked it up. It was slightly larger then the ones the Rangers used, but besides that it looked identical to them, abet instead of black and gold as it's primary colors, it was white and gold. The design was due to Lothor's original plan to infiltrate the Rangers with one of the captured students, which he would brainwash and place in amongst the teens like a living time bomb until the time was right. However, he had abandoned that plan when Zurgane pointed out that history had a habit of making people like that turn against their masters through the "strength of friendship" or some nonsense like that.

Then Lothor had considered giving the device to one of his generals…ok, considered giving it to Zurgane. That was still one of his ideas, the other being to wear the device himself. He was leaning towards that, it would have been SO delightful…

Except he was beginning to get a nasty feeling that it wasn't going to happen. Or ANY plan was going to happen.

Because as the Kelzac turned the device on (without any posing. Lothor HATED that blasted posing), the same thing happened.

Red and gold power crackled across the Kelzac, and it made a weird buzzing noise and then vanished in a flash of bright light. The smoking morpher dropped to the ground for the fifth time.

Lothor made a growling snarl in his throat and stood up. It was a good thing he'd decided to test the device first.

Because he'd outdone himself, in a BAD way. The device wasn't just more powerful then the Rangers', it was TOO powerful. Even considering the not incredibly high amount of durability a normal Kelzac had, the device kept destroying whoever tried to tap its power. The reason five Kelzacs had been…whatever the device had done to them was because Lothor wanted to see if the problem was a kink he could work out. He looked over to Zurgane.

"Report?"

"Energy levels have not changed my lord." The armored warrior replied.

"Does it look like they will?"

"……No sir."

Lothor yelled in anger and turned around to punch the sixth Kelzac who was coming in to replace his fallen comrade. It flew across the room and nearly crashed into Marah and Kapri, who ducked at the last second. The Kelzac hit the ground, making unhappy noises.

"Maybe a Kelzac Fury will work." Lothor said, walking back to his throne and picking up his, um, whatever that thing is he uses for Kelzacs and stuff (I don't know the name, help?). He pressed two buttons and summoned one of the red-suited warriors.

It lasted two seconds longer then a regular Kelzac. Lothor started yelling again.

"THOSE CURSED RANGERS! They beat my monsters, ruin my plans, and won't even let me copy them!" Lothor yelled, and then lacking anything else to punch, he punched the wall. "OW! And now they hurt my hand!"

"Ohhhh Uncle, we took courses in first aid!" Marah said as she and Kapri approached with a medical kit they had gotten from somewhere.

An energy blast from Lothor sent them scurrying again.

"Boss, the ship!" Choobo said. Lothor tried to dial down his rage, with questionable success.

"Um, uncle?" Kapri asked, peeking her head out from behind the throne.

"WHAT!"

"I was thinking…maybe a Kelzac isn't the best test subject. Maybe you need a more powerful guinea pig…"

"Oh really? Well thank you for volunteering Kapri! You know where the device is." Lothor said in feigned sweetness.

"Um, uncle…"

Another energy blast sent the pink haired girl stumbling towards the device.

"Uncle! You can't do this! Kapri may not make it!" Marah whined.

"You left out the part in that where I'm supposed to care." Lothor replied, as Marah strapped the device on.

"Um, er…uh…Evil, uh…Storm…" she stammered.

"JUST PRESS THE BUTTON!"

Kapri did so.

The power exploded on her being, and for a moment she jerked and spasmed in place, making a strange noise that would have made dogs howl if there were any dogs on Lothor's ship.

Unlike the Kelzacs though, Kapri had enough common sense to claw at the strap and yank the device off. She stumbled back, nearly falling, as Marah ran to help her.

"Well? What happened?" Lothor asked.

"Felt like…my insides…were on fire…" Kapri gasped. Marah turned and gave her uncle a dirty look, but he was already ignoring them.

"Sir, maybe we should tone the power of the device down. There is…" Zurgane suggested.

"Tone it DOWN? But Zurgane, what's the point of making an invincible evil ranger IF HE'S NOT INVINCIBLE! If we tone it down, the Rangers will find a way to beat him!"

"But sir, if we don't tone it down…"

"This discussion is ended! We are not toning it down! What we need to do is find someone who can actually stand the power!"

"Who would you suggest sir?"

Lothor looked at Zurgane.

"….Oh no."

Fifteen seconds later, Lothor was looking down at Zurgane, who was lying on the floor, smoking, the device nearby.

"Kapri's report of how the device felt was quite accurate, my lord."

Lothor screamed in rage and frustration again, though he kept from punching or blasting anything.

"CURSE IT ALL! Zurgane, throw the piece of junk in the trash! And everyone GET OUT!" Lothor bellowed. Everyone skedaddled, as Lothor went over and sat back on his throne, stewing in rage.

* * *

Lothor wasn't the only one feeling frustrated.

Dustin Brookes (who, if you have somehow stumbled across this story and are reading it out of sheer boredom, or have suddenly been struck by an attack of amnesia, was the Yellow Wind Ranger, commanding the power of Earth) pulled his helmet off and got down on his knees for what seemed like the millionth time, peering at his dirt bike.

"What's wrong with you? Did I make you mad?" he asked. He hadn't been doing anything particularly important on his bike, just tooling around. But something was just…off. The bike wasn't responding perfectly.

But Dustin couldn't find any mechanical reason for it. It was as if the bike just didn't feel like putting out an optimum effort. And it annoyed him.

Well, no sense riding around while feeling like that. It wasn't like he had a competition coming up or anything…but still…

Maybe he'd wash it. Maybe that would make it feel better. Or something.

New problem.

The track Dustin raced on had a small area reserved for washing (true, it was called DIRT bike racing, but that had a lot more to do with the conditions and didn't mean the vehicles had to be filthy all the time), and there was a long line up. Dustin made an annoyed noise when he saw it and then sighed, trundling his bike to the end of the line and waiting.

Time for strike 3.

"Hey Dustin, what's up?" came a voice, and Dustin turned to see his blonde comrade Hunter Bradley, one of the pair of brothers who made up the Thunder Rangers. And where Hunter was, Blake couldn't be far behind, especially when it came to dirt bike racing.

"The sky." Dustin grumped.

"Oh man, you're not still mad at that Slimeball thing, are you?" Hunter asked. The last creature the rangers had fought had been an ooze dripping, spewing, and drenching mess that had not only been unpleasant to fight, but had led to a spot of bad teamwork as well, as Hunter had dashed behind Dustin during the fight to set up a move, and Dustin had inadvertently acted as a shield for the blast of slime the creature had fired. They'd pulled together and won despite Dustin's great displeasure at that, but even afterward Dustin had still been pretty ticked off (Cam as well. He was STILL cleaning guck out of the Zords).

"No no. It's my bike. It's mad at me or something."

Hunter arched an eyebrow.

"Dustin, it's a bike. It can't get mad."

"Then why wasn't it giving me everything it could today?"

"Um…" Hunter said. "Can I have a lifeline?"

Dustin sighed.

As predicted, it wasn't long before Blake joined them. The three of them gave Dustin's bike a look over, but the brothers, like Dustin, could not find anything wrong.

"Relax Dustin. You're probably just stressing. It'll be fine. Everyone has off days." Blake said.

"Yeah, keep cool. No one can be perfect." Hunter added.

"Thanks guys. You want to hang until I actually get to wash my bike?" Dustin asked.

The two brothers looked at each other and then at the very long line.

"Gee, look at the time…" Hunter said, trying to subtly look at his watch.

"Guys!" Dustin protested.

"Sorry Dustin, but you know what they say. Good things come to those who wait." Hunter said, starting to walk away.

"And wait, and wait, and wait…" Blake added. Dustin made a noise of anger that was about 20 real and 80 act as the two walked away.

"All right, who needs you, I'll show you in our next race…"

* * *

On the road nearby, a blue car stopped at a fork.

"This is as far as I can take you buddy." Said the man behind the wheel.

"It's ok. Thanks." Said his passenger, opening the door and stepping out, even as he reached over and opened the back door. He withdrew a large, camping style backpack, the kind that have steel rods in the design, and closed the door, watching the car drive off. He shouldered the backpack and turned around.

He was young, anywhere from 17 to 20, and he was wearing torn jeans, a black and dirty T-Shirt, and very scuffed hiking boots. His hair was a deep red, just past shoulder length and tied behind him in a loose ponytail secured with an elastic band. He could have been called a pretty boy, if his face didn't have a battered look. Indeed, his nose seemed to be slightly off, just a tad bit out of sync with the rest of his face. However, with his piercing green eyes, this just made him look mysterious and dangerous. All in all, a fair package, and one that looked pretty healthy. If he's been hitchhiking for a while, he must have been lucky. Or possessed exceptional genes. Or…

He started walking, his backpack hitched up tight, carrying the weight easily. He did not whistle or hum as he walked. He just stared straight ahead, a look of determination on his face, as if he was looking for something.

He walked for a bit, paused, and then turned, walking onto the dirt bike course. He barely paid the machines leaping and tearing around the course any attention, walking on.

Dustin was finally getting near the front of the line, and he had his arms crossed, tapping his foot impatiently. He didn't notice the teen as he walked past.

And hesitated. He stopped, waited, as if he were sensing something, and then he slowly turned his head, scanning the line. His eyes settled on Dustin.

Dustin didn't notice, and the figure stared at him.

Then he blinked.

"Nah. Couldn't be." He said, and walked on.

As Dustin waited for his turn, the backpacking figure walked on, heading into town.

In there waited what he was looking for.

And it wouldn't take him long to find it.

He was good at that kind of thing.

* * *

Lothor was still sitting on his throne when a door opened.

"Sir…" Zurgane said, stepping in.

"This better be very good Zurgane, or the next thing I test on you will be the effect of hard vacuum."

"No sir! I mean yes sir! I mean…sir, I have thought of a way we can use your morpher."

"Oh? Do tell." Lothor said, and Zurgane walked in front of him.

He had company. With him was another alien. It was totally black, both its skin and dress, though there was some blue and green trim. It had a high forehead with three eyes in its center, a fanged mouth, and a bald head from which three spikes jutted backwards from the crown. It was wearing armored shoulder pads with three spikes jutting from each bulky bit, an armored vest, and leg armor. The protective covering was covered with spirals.

"My lord, this is Triplicate."

"An honor to meet you, great Lothor." The alien called Triplicate said, bowing slightly.

"Oh, marvelous. Can HE use the morpher?"

"Um…I don't think so sir…"

"THEN WHY DID YOU BRING HIM?"

"Let me explain sir." Zurgane said. He would have been sweating…if he had sweat glands. "Triplicate has a unique power. If he is defeated, he can return from being destroyed, this time immune to whatever destroyed him before. And should it happen again, he can…"

"Right, I see the theme. Three lives. What good does that do me?" Lothor said, noticing in some small part of his brain that it wasn't spirals on Triplicate's armor, it was a constantly repeating 3, slightly darker lines drawn to show the separation of the numbers.

"Well sir, I was thinking how the morpher's failure was that it has too much power. And I recall that there have been other rangers with…similar situations."

"Like the Titanium Ranger." Lothor said, referring an earlier group of Power Rangers. It was a good thing Power Rangers were territorial: if the constantly forming groups had organized some kind of union, being a bad guy would be impossible. But no, they mostly kept to themselves…mostly. Lothor hoped THAT never changed.

"Yes." Zurgane replied.

"So?"

"My idea sir, is that we can have Triplicate attack, and while the rangers are distracted, we sneak your morpher down to Earth and hide it near the Ranger's…"

"WHAT? YOU WANT TO **_GIVE_** THEM THE MORPHER? Have you lost your MIND?"

"Sir, please! I must finish! Sir, if the morpher has so much power that even YOU will not try to wear it…"

"Zurgane…" Lothor replied, a dangerous edge in his voice.

"Then what do you think would happen if one of the rangers tried it on?"

Lothor paused.

"Go on."

"Triplicate, by himself, could surely destroy the Rangers…"

"I've heard that before." Lothor said.

"Hey! I'm standing here!" Triplicate complained.

"I still have!"

"But what I have planned is even better. Triplicate can cause them enough trouble so that if we are careful, we can lead to the rangers "discovering" the morpher. With his power, the rangers will surely think they need more so they can win, and one of them will try and use it…and it will destroy whoever does! The shock will be enough to let Triplicate finish the rangers off, and even if he doesn't…"

"HEY!"

"I'm just speaking in theory here." Zurgane assured the alien warrior. Triplicate crossed his arms and looked cross. "In any case, the loss of morale would be a great blow, more then enough for us to rally and finish them off. If their leader is the one who tries the morpher, it will be even better!"

Lothor thought it over.

"You might just be on to something there Zurgane!"

"Thank you sir!"

"Except for one thing."

"What sir?"

"You mentioned the Titanium Ranger. What happened there?"

"Um…our records show that a human eventually did learn to use it…"

"Exactly. Let me set the scene for you Zurgane." Lothor said, and held up his hands like he was putting on a puppet show, albeit with no puppets.

"'Oh no, the great and terrible Lothor has sent a monster to destroy us! We will surely lose!' 'Fear not my fellow rangers, I have found a new power! I will use it to win!' 'Oh no, the morpher is destroying him!' 'No, I will not be destroyed, for I have friends and the power of happiness and cupcakes!' 'Wow, he did not get destroyed!' 'Yay, I have 20 times the power I had before! Now I will give Lothor a migraine and a ulcer!'" Lothor said, going back and forth in weird voices. Zurgane would have arched an eyebrow at the scene…if he had eyebrows. "Understand Zurgane?"

"You are worried the Rangers will be able to succeed where you failed."

"That is a concern, yes. You DO remember the key point of the design, right Zurgane?"

"Um…you mean how in the original plan you planned to infiltrate the Rangers, and to do that you wanted to make sure they didn't figure out you made the morpher, so you tried to duplicate their technology as closely as possible instead of using your own kind of design?"

"Exactly. So what happens if one of the Rangers DOES get the device to work?"

"…You won't be able to control them."

"Exactly! So tell me…WHAT BLASTED GUARANTEE DO YOU HAVE THAT THAT WON'T HAPPEN!"

"Have I become a non-factor here, or something?" Triplicate asked. Lothor glared intensely at the alien. "Ok, I'll shut up now."

"Well sir, I cannot guarantee anything…"

"That's it! Airlock, open!" Lothor said, gripping his throne.

"NO! SIR, NO! IT'S NOT LIKE THAT!"

"….Ok, fine, cancel previous order. You have the ten seconds it will take me to put on my safety harness." Lothor said, as he began fiddling with his throne for when he prepared to open the airlock again.

"Sir…I have compared all our readings, and matched them up against the Rangers, normal humans, exceptional humans from the past…sir, the odds that a ranger could actually get the device to work, after we could not, is probably in the realm of thermodynamic miracles."

"Oh it is? That's great! Do you have any idea what he just said?" Lothor asked Triplicate.

"Anything over three syllables makes me cry." Triplicate replied.

"A thermodynamic miracle, sir, is an event with a likelihood so small it may as well be impossible. For example, air spontaneously transforming into gold."

"Been reading those science websites again, haven't you?"

"Yes sir."

"Ok…so you're saying that it would be impossible."

"I have the readings summed up if you would like to examine them yourself my lord. Considering what we know about humans, even the rangers…I have felt the device sir. A small part of me could sense the incredible power I would have it I could bear it…but the rest of me was overwhelmed. And this was with my intense, passionate desire to serve you and defeat the Rangers my Lord. If I could not handle the backlash despite the privileges I KNEW I could have…I doubt any human could. Even the rangers."

Lothor leaned back, his safety harness firmly locked into place, thinking it over. Zurgane waited nervously. He knew that considering how foul Lothor's mood was as his latest and greatest sure thing had just failed him, he would not hesitate to toss him and Triplicate into the void of deep space.

"You're sure?" Lothor said.

"Odds would have to be in the billions."

"There are six billion humans on that world. Those are not the most favorable odds, especially when it comes to the Rangers."

"True sir, but that sheer number works for us as well. With that many people, how could one of the Rangers possibly be one?"

"Because, I don't know, THEY ALREADY ARE!"

"True sir…but one might also say that life has already handed out the greatest gifts they will have."

Lothor went back to thinking.

Zurgane waited nervously again.

"UNCLE! WE MADE YOU A CAKE!" Marah cheered as she walked in with Kapri. Zurgane nearly hit the ceiling in surprise. The two stopped. "Uncle, why have you tied yourself to your throne?"

"To insure I don't suddenly go mad and want to get anywhere near your terrible cooking!" Lothor snapped. His nieces pouted. "But don't go anywhere! I just thought of a plan to use that failure of a morpher!"

"Sir!" Zurgane said, slamming a fist to his chest.

"Hey, that's your…" Triplicate said.

"Great honor to hear it sir! I am sure that you will turn this setback into a rousing success!" Zurgane said, elbowing Triplicate in the side.

"Marah, Kapri, go down to Earth with Triplicate! Find the rangers and engage them in battle! And don't retreat unless I give the signal! Zurgane, you will go down to the area where the Rangers have their base and place the device! Don't hide it TOO well, but don't just put it on a rock!"

"Sir!"

"And this better work Zurgane!"

"I am sure it will sir!" Zurgane said, and walked out. Kapri and Marah followed, Triplicate with them.

Lothor got up, appeared to ponder something, and then went over to the computer. Just to be sure, he'd check the data himself.

* * *

"Hey Dustin, why the long face?" Kelly asked as Dustin walked into Storm Chargers.

"I don't know. Something's off with my bike."

"You fell off your bike?"

"No no! I just…I don't know. Something's wrong, but I can't find out what."

"You need a mechanic?"

"No! I just…ugh, sorry Kelly. I really can't explain."

"Try."

"Well…it just felt like the bike didn't feel like doing its best. Yes, I know it's a machine. But I can't shake it."

"That is strange. Maybe you're just stressing."

"That's what Hunter said too. Maybe." Dustin said. "Well, I couldn't find anything wrong, or Hunter or Blake…but still…"

"Dustin, RELAX. It's probably nothing."

"Probably." Dustin said, not wholly convinced. "Anyway, have you seen Shane and Tori?"

"Actually yes, they were just here ten minutes ago. They said if you dropped by to meet them they'd be at the coffee shop at the end of the block."

"Thanks. See you later." Dustin said, heading out.

His friends, fellow students, and the Air and Water to his Earth were indeed at the coffee stop…as were Hunter and Blake. They said hello to each other, and Dustin sat down and ordered something, and the five chit-chatted.

"Dustin, what is that anyway?" Blake asked when Dustin's drink arrived.

"A Double Caramella Frappo Espresso With Half-Light Whipped Cream And Sprinkles." Dustin said.

"So, in other words, a hot candy bar in a cup."

"It has coffee in it!"

"Sure sure." Blake said, sipping his own drink, which was a simple black with one sugar.

Dustin brought up his bike again, and the five went over reasons why it might be acting that way (well, Dustin, Hunter, and Blake did, Shane and Tori just kept nodding their heads and trying to act like they understood all the mechanical babble the three were throwing back and forth). In the end, all five reached the same conclusion: beats the heck out of me.

"Maybe your inner ninja is trying to tell you something." Shane suggested.

"What, about my bike? What, is Lothor going to turn it into a monster?"

"That would be interesting, if only for how the fight would go. Dustin blocking our blows because it would ruin the finish, refusing to make the Storm Striker because it would scratch the paint…" Shane joked.

"Ha ha ha." Dustin said.

"All joking aside…maybe it's not the bike. Maybe you're just getting an omen." Tori said.

"Me? Why me?"

"Why not? You are, uh, you know…" Hunter said, tapping his morpher, not wanting to say "Power Ranger" in such a crowded place, who knew who could overhear?

"Yeah, but I figure if anyone was going to get premiums…uh, price checks…er…"

"Premonition?" Shane offered.

"Yeah…I figure it would be YOU guys! That's just…not me."

"You'd be surprised what you're capable of Dustin. Don't sell yourself short." Tori agreed.

"Well, whatever it is, if it keeps bothering you don't hesitate to ask us. Maybe we can help."

"Thanks guys."

* * *

He had been right earlier.

And he couldn't believe it.

True, it had been a long time since he had been in Blue Bay Harbor. A lifetime. But he still remembered it faintly, the beginning of his life before the journey…the journey that had eventually led him back here.

And he had expected something a lot different, when he had begun tracking the traces. If you were a student of the Academy, you weren't like normal people. You had a slight…difference, and it could be traced if you knew what to do, and were skilled.

He was both.

And he expected to have been back on the grounds by now. Instead he was sitting at a table in the corner in some kind of drink serving establishment (at least they had herbal tea), looking at the people who he had traced throughout the city until he had settled here. But no sooner had HE sat down then along had come the one he had looked at on those racing grounds he had crossed, sitting down with the two he had traced and their two guests (and he was getting readings from them too, albeit ones that weren't familiar to him). The one he had thought was a misreading.

Only it wasn't.

The teen in yellow was a ninja from the Academy, as were his companions who were wearing red and blue (and those other two had to be in something as well, he was sure of it).

And that made no sense.

Why would the Academy admit someone like HIM? Even putting aside that he was out riding around on some bike instead of actually staying on the grounds. He was…wrong. His look, his attitude…that wasn't a ninja. It was more fitting of a court jester.

And his companions hadn't matched up either, from the little he had seen of them, talking, laughing.

Ninjas didn't act like that. TEENAGERS did. CHILDREN did.

Had the Academy fallen so far as to admit people like THAT?

It threw a monkey wrench into his plans, that was for sure. He needed more information.

Despite their lack of the right appearance, there was not doubt that these were students of the Wind Ninja Academy. Which meant they'd be heading back there soon.

He'd follow them. And he dearly hoped that they sensed him. If they didn't, he would be disgusted. Even more so.

If they did, well…it didn't change much.

And he wasn't worried if they did detect him.

He had ways around them.

But he doubted they would see that.

* * *

The five teen ninjas were unaware of their scrutineer, as they talked and joked, enjoying the simple pleasure of being in the company of friends. They were now ribbing Dustin on his bike, trying to take his mind off his worry.

"Hey, unlike YOU two, I need to take care with my gear." Dustin snapped back, pretending to be angry.

"Our gear needs as much care as yours would." Tori replied.

"Yeah, right! Oh look, here's a door! Now I can surf! Oh look, he's a chunk of wood and some wheels! Now I can skate! Unlike YOU two, I can't Mcguyver some gear out of junk."

"My board is not junk! It's a carefully constructed fusion of momentum, velocity and revolution!"

"It's a piece of wood with some wheels stuck in it."

"Yours is a big piece of metal with your OWN wheels stuck in it!"

"I don't even get wheels!" Tori mock-complained.

"Ok, I've lost track of the problem. What were we trying to solve?" Blake asked his brother.

"Last time I checked, something about Special K. Hey, what do you think they do with Regular K? And whatever happened to Kay Ballard? You know, if you said Mallard with a cold it would sound like Ballard." Hunter replied.

Blake stared at his brother.

"Do you even listen to yourself when you talk?"

"I drift in and out." Hunter replied.

And then the conversation abruptly ended, as with a crackle of power Marah, Kapri, and Triplicate arrived in the street. The noise caught the people's attention, and upon seeing it was yet another of the monsters who had been plaguing their city for the past while, they made a well-educated decision from all the past experiences.

They all started to panic, scream, and run.

Ok, maybe not so well educated.

"Well, here's a problem we can solve!" Shane said, getting up from his chair, now dead serious. His teammates had all immediately put on their game faces as they prepared for combat.

"Hah! Prepare to be stumped!" Marah said. Kapri glanced at her. "What?"

"That's it?"

"You come up with something better!"

"Ok, how about this?" Kapri said as she pulled out her uncle's device. "Kelzacs!"

With another crackling noise and a flash the rank and file of Lothor's armies appeared. And though he didn't show it, Shane suddenly felt a bit worried. There were at least twenty of the creatures.

"Attack!" Kapri ordered, and the Kelzacs surged forward, making their strange buzzing/clicking/yammering noises. The five split up and engaged the creatures in hand to hand.

"Hey Kapri, I have a question." Marah said.

"What?"

"Why is it when the Rangers start fighting they split up, but they always clump themselves together so we or our evil space ninja allies can blast them?"

Kapri slapped Marah on the back of her huge insectile helmet.

"OW!"

"Don't give them ideas!"

'I was just ASKING." Marah whined, and then her eyes snapped to Hunter and Blake who had managed to get around the bulk of the Kelzacs and were coming after them. Marah pulled out her staff and prepared to fight.

Shane leapt over a table, kicking a Kelzac on the way. He landed, snapped back his head to avoid a Kelzac slash, blocked the Kelzac's follow up punch, and grabbed the creature's arm and turned/twisted, tossing the drone over his shoulder before he snapped back up and slammed his foot out behind him, thrust kicking another in the chest. Two more ran at him, waving their blades. Shane blocked both swings by intercepting their wrists with his forearms, darted in the small space between the two, and slammed both his hands backwards, his fists slamming into the back of the Kelzac's heads and sending them stumbling into two more of their companions. While the four were still tangled up, Shane turned, ran two steps, leapt forward, and slammed each foot into the back of a Kelzac, sending all four tumbling to the ground.

Tori hammered three punches into a Kelzac torso and as it doubled over she rolled/flipped over the crouching creature, kicking it in the back when she landed. A standing snap kick knocked another one away, and then as two more flanked her and attacked her on each side she did a perfect split. The two Kelzacs slashed each other, their blades sending sparks shooting from their chests, and then Tori thrust out her arms, punching both in their chests and sending them stumbling back. She twisted her right leg as another ran at her from her front and swept the creature's legs out from under it as she whirled up and spun around again, slamming her foot across the tripped Kelzac's head as it tried to get up.

Dustin still was holding his coffee, or his "hot candy bar", and he made good use out of it by tossing what was left of it into a Kelzac's face. It reared back, clawing at its mask, as Dustin side kicked it. It flew, and Dustin whirled and did his own roundhouse sweep to another attacking Kelzac, and then continued his momentum by spinning back and roundhousing two more across their face, and then continued the spin even more as he thrust his foot into another Kelzac chest, knocking all the creatures to the ground.

"Wow! Five in a row! A new record!" Dustin commented to himself, and then two Kelzacs grabbed him from behind. "Hey! No fair!"

The buzzing Kelzacs couldn't really reply, but the third one rushing at him from his front while the first two held his arms was all the answer Dustin needed in regards to his complaint on fairness.

So instead he simply leapt off the ground as the third Kelzac came in close and thrust out his legs, grabbing the Kelzac by the head via his knees. In a simultaneous move, he yanked his legs back, dragging his attacker toward him, even as he used the shift in his weight to his advantage by yanking the two Kelzacs who were holding his arms forward and towards his chest. The end result was all three of the creatures getting their heads slammed together, and they dropped Dustin. Dustin landed and immediately kipped back up as the creatures stumbled away, holding their injured craniums. He smiled to himself, but it didn't last as four more Kelzacs attacked him.

Shane was currently trying to hold off six, and he was starting to worry. Normally by now the bystanders would have run away, and they could morph. But the sheer number of Kelzacs was getting in the crowd's way, and it didn't help that some of the creatures seemed to be ignoring the rangers so they could bully some civilians. Shane had tried to help, but Kelzacs kept getting in HIS way. Same with Tori and Dustin, and Blake and Hunter were tied up with Lothor's nieces and not doing so well. Not to mention that their latest monster was still around, though Shane couldn't see him in his current field of vision. He cleared some breathing room and reached for his morpher.

"Cam! We're getting swarmed here!" he said into it.

"I see you. I'm on my way." Cam said. If he said anything else Shane didn't hear it: he was getting bum-rushed by Kelzacs again.

* * *

"AH! NO! LEAVE MY BABIES ALONE!" wailed a young woman who had been sitting at a table near the wall. When the monsters had attacked, most of the crowd had run in her direction and she hadn't wanted to join it for fear of getting caught up in the mass and leaving her two young daughters behind. But no sooner had the crowd thinned then the creatures in the black and red costumes and the scorpion masks were there, buzzing and waving their weapons. She had put her kids behind her and hoped they'd leave if she yelled at them, but no dice. The Kelzacs closed in.

And the figure watched at his table, sitting impassively. He, much like most of the crowd, had been surprised at this sudden change in the day, but his surprise had quickly faded. He didn't even run. He just sat at the table, watching.

A Kelzac approached him from the side. He didn't even look until it was right up against him, at which point he looked up to the side, noting the Kelzac…and not doing much else. Perhaps angered by the lack of a reaction, the Kelzac took a swing at him.

The redhead caught its arm by the wrist.

"That was a mistake."

The redhead rammed an elbow into the Kelzac's gut and then flipped him over onto his table in a one-armed throw, the Kelzac smashing through the wood like it was made of paper. It tried to get up, but a vicious kick to the chest while it was on its knees sent it flying through the air. It came crashing down near where the Kelzacs were menacing the mother and her kids. They took immediate notice and abandoned their little bullying game to attack the one who had attacked their fellow. The mother took this opportunity to gather up her kids and run for it.

The redhead didn't. Instead he snapped up his leg behind him, his ankle and lower calf catching the wooden chair he had been sitting on a moment ago, kicking it into the air behind him, as the redhead whirled around it and slashed out his leg in a reverse roundhouse, kicking the chair while it was still in mid-flight and sending it flying into one of the Kelzac's. The other one hesitated, shocked slightly by this. It knew that people could fight back, but its knowledge of that was pretty much limited to the Power Rangers and this was not one of them.

Not that it mattered, as the figure had chased the chair and gone after the target it hadn't struck, feinting a low kick the Kelzac tried to block, hence leaving it totally open as the redhead instead jumped and slammed his knee into the drone's face, sending it flying over to join its two friends.

Perhaps the Rangers may have noticed their sudden new ally, but they had their own problems. Especially Hunter and Blake, who were sent flying with a yell from blasts fired by Marah and Kapri. They rolled with the landing, got up, and were immediately besieged by Kelzacs.

* * *

And up in Lothor's ship, Zurgane was watching the battle on a monitor and waiting for the Green Ranger to show up. That would put all the Rangers in the field, and he could slip into the general area of their base and plant the morpher. He'd then turn it on and make his way back to the ship. The rest was up to luck, but Zurgane had a good feeling about this…

And then happened to glance over to the monitor that was scanning the general area where he was planning to teleport down, and saw it. It was a rock outcropping that was basically where the mountains turned to forest and vice versa…and part of it was collapsing. He turned his attention to it and watched the landslide, and, intrigued, he pressed a few buttons to see if he could find the cause. Nothing came up, which meant it was natural…

And then he saw it. There were a few holes in the new cliff side that had been left after the collapse…including one that looked just about man shaped. It scanned in and saw that it formed a small cave…in which there rested a small rock jutting out. Almost like a natural…shelf.

Excitement filled Zurgane. It was a sign. This time the plan would work…because it had provided him with the perfect cover. He could easily plant it there. They, unless they looked VERY close, would think it was a hidden artifact unearthed to them by fate. Only this wasn't fate. It was doom, for one of them and hopefully all of them.

He turned his attention back to the fight. The second the Green Ranger showed, he'd plant the morpher.

* * *

Cam wasn't showing up yet, but Triplicate had. When the fight had started he'd taken a "perimeter" walk, checking out his targets as they fought the fodder. Now he was just about ready to make his move…

And then he saw it.

He, much like the Rangers themselves, had been focused on the battle, and hadn't seen the new development until now. It was drawn to his attention when a Kelzac flew past his head.

He turned, and his three eyes widened as he saw it: someone new. The two girls had shown him their file on the Rangers before they'd warped down just in case he needed to know who to attack, and the redhead he saw now wasn't one of them.

But, as the redhead ducked under two Kelzacs slashing their blades at him and slammed both his fists into their chests so hard TRIPLICATE could feel it, it looked like he was applying for a job.

Well, Triplicate had been brought here to destroy the Rangers. He assumed Lothor would have no problem with having a potential one taken care of.

He started to walk towards the teen, as three more Kelzacs attacked, trying to surround the redhead. It didn't work. In fact it worked against them, for as they closed in the teenager ran and leapt, getting some good air as he smashed into the first Kelzac at a downward angle with both feet, shoving off the blow and flipping over as he slammed both his feet into the Kelzac behind him, and then pushing off and twirling as he slashed out his foot and caught the third Kelzac across the face. The three drones hit the ground as roughly the same time as the redhead, except he landed on his feet as he struck a combat pose, ready for his next opponent.

"Nice work!" Triplicate said, as he approached the redhead. The teen turned. Despite his best efforts, he couldn't help but look a bit surprised at what was approaching him. Maybe if he read the news or watched TV he would have understood what was before him…but he didn't. So he didn't.

"I appreciate someone who can do things in threes." Triplicate said.

"What in the world are you?" the redhead said.

"The last thing you'll see." Triplicate said, and thrust out a clawed hand, firing three powerful blasts at the redhead.

He was caught in the explosions and thrown backwards with a scream, crashing against the wall and falling down into some garbage, his outfit now even more torn up and singed from the heat.

"The world doesn't need another hero kid." Triplicate said, and turned his attention to the Rangers, who has retreated back together.

"No more civilians!" Hunter said as he and Blake ran up.

"About time. Let's do it guys!" Shane said, and the five brought their hands to their morphers.

"Ninja/Thunder Storm, Ranger Form, HAH!"

The power flowed from the morphers and enveloped the teens, transforming them and arming them for the real battle. "Ninja Ranger Power!"

"Let's turn the tide!" Tori said as she drew her sword.

"Make them eat dirt!" Dustin said, mirroring her.

"Give them a shock!" Hunter said, pulling out his multi-segmented staff.

"Uh…blow on them?" Shane said, his mind blanking on a good wind pun.

"How about blow them away?" Blake said.

"That'll do! HAH!" Shane yelled as the Rangers charged again. The Kelzacs were still there, but armed with their weapons and their suits the Rangers mowed them down, sparks exploding from the similar abet very inferior material the Kelzacs wore.

"Look! They're grouped now! Just like I said!" Marah squealed, pleased with herself.

"Then let's do the thing we do. HAH!" Kapri yelled, firing a pink power blast…only to find the Rangers diving out of the way. All the blast did was hit a few straggling Kelzacs.

"OHHHHHHHH! Look what you did!" Kapri snapped at her sister.

"What?"

"You jinxed me!"

"Sorry!" Marah said.

"Hey, you wanna shoot?" Dustin said to the sisters, having transformed his sword into a gun.

"Sounds like fun!" Tori said, having done likewise. The two alien girls blanched and then ran for it as blasts of power exploded around them.

"That's it! Never talk in battle again!" Kapri yelled.

"Got it! Got it! I never…"

"HI-YAH!" Came a yell from above them, and then Cam, clad in his green Samurai gear, dropped in front of the two. "Going somewhere?"

"We WERE." Kapri snapped, and drew her short sword. Cam drew his sabre as Kapri attacked, blocking her rapid slashes. She stabbed at him, but he moved aside and she stumbled past him…and then Marah blasted Cam in the back with electrical blasts from her helmet's eyes. He yelled in pain, and then yelled again as Kapri turned around and slashed him across the chest, drawing a shower of sparks.

"Maybe YOU should go somewhere." Kapri said.

"Yeah, like…doom!" Marah stammered. Kapri gave her another look. "I'M TRYING!"

"Marah, Kapri, it's done!" came a sudden voice in their ears (actually the radios in their headgear). "You can retreat if you want!"

"Thanks Choobo. This battle is cramping my style anyway." Kapri said, and then the two sisters were gone, teleported away. Cam immediately forget them and turned his attention to the still remaining foe.

Who was finally making his presence known, as Dustin and Tori had gone after him. Triplicate had drawn two large rings and was blocking their swords with them. Blake leapt in to assist, but Triplicate just spun, slashing and knocking the Blue and Yellow Rangers away before he fired beams out of his eyes and blew Blake out of the air. He came crashing down with a yell of pain.

"NO ONE DOES THAT TO MY BROTHER!" Hunter yelled, running in with his staff. Triplicate blocked his angry blow and kicked at the Ranger, but the Crimson warrior dodged away and slashed Triplicate across his chest and face.

"Ow! I just got that polished!"

"I'll polish you off!" Hunter yelled, going in for another blow.

"Better men have tried buddy!" Triplicate yelled as he hurled his battle rings. They flew over Hunter before he knew what was happening and clamped shut, pinning his arms to his sides and his legs closed. Unable to defend himself, Hunter took the full brunt of twin lasers fired from Triplicate's palms, sending the ranger flying through the air as the rings unsnapped from him and flew back to Triplicate.

"Is that all you have?"

"I'll show you…" Dustin said as he got up, materializing his hammer (Writer's Note: Yes, materialize. Have you ever noticed how the Rangers and their foes are always pulling weapons out of nowhere? It's not like they have pockets in those outfits…). He was about to renew his attack when he heard a rustling noise nearby.

The redhead shoved some trash bags off of him and stood up. Behind his helmet, Dustin's eyes widened.

"Whoa!" he said, running over. "Hey, buddy, are you…" Dustin said as he put his hands on the guy's shoulder to try and help him up.

"GET OFF ME!" The redhead roared, grabbing Dustin and half-shoving/half tossing the Ranger behind him.

"HEY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" Dustin yelled.

"NO ONE DOES THAT TO ME!" the redhead yelled, more at Triplicate then in an answer to Dustin, as he charged at the alien.

Shane was lining up his Hawk Blaster when the figure ran into his sight, and he lowered it.

"Who the heck is that?" he asked, as the figure leapt and fired off a slashing air roundhouse at Triplicate. Triplicate blocked as the figure landed and lashed out with some punches and kicks. Triplicate didn't seem to feel them: his armor was pretty good.

"Don't have time to play kid! Maybe in three minutes!" Triplicate said, as he blocked another punch and kneed the redhead in the gut. While the Ranger's suits enhanced their strength and allowed them to take blows like that easier, the redhead had no such protection and the blow devastated him.

Perhaps not as much as the follow up kick that sent him flying through the air.

"I got him-AHHHHH!" Cam yelled as he leapt to catch the figure, only to have Triplicate blast him out of the air much like he had Blake.

He actually landed worse then the figure, who twisted his weight and tried to turning his flight into a backwards handspring. He was only halfway successful, landing and stumbling onto his side.

"Hey kid!' Triplicate yelled. The redhead looked up, fury blazing in his eyes. "THINK FAST!"

And Triplicate snapped out his hand, hurling three smaller discs at the redhead. The explosions consumed him, and this time he didn't come flying out of the cloud. In fact, he didn't even scream.

"No!" Shane yelled, running over, as the smoke cleared to reveal…nothing.

"Oh no…" Tori said, looking at where the redhead had been.

"Wow! Never TOTALLY destroyed someone before! Usually there's SOMETHING left! This is one for the books!" Triplicate said.

"No…….!" Shane growled to himself, clenching his fist hard. "This is the last page!" he yelled as he turned towards Triplicate and brought his katana up before him. "Ninja Sword, Gold!"

Shane drew his hand up the blade as it glowed with radiant power and then he launched himself at Triplicate.

"Hey kid, bit of advice! Don't announce what you're…" Triplicate said, bring him his rings to block.

The sword slashed right through them.

"AH!"

The blazing blade cut deep, and Triplicate staggered back, yelling and screaming as small explosions detonated on his body.

"Let's finish this!" Shane yelled. Within a second Tory and Dustin were beside him, and to their right was Hunter and Blake. Within another second they had assembled their weapons.

"Storm Striker!"

"Thunder Blaster!"

"Uh oh." Triplicate said.

"FIRE!"

The twin balls of formidable energy exploded from the assembled weapons and spun around each other before they struck Triplicate, blowing him apart with a bellow and a massive explosion.

"YEAH!" Shane yelled, as the groups disassembled their weapons, watching the parts of what had been Triplicate fall.

"Nice work guys." Cam said as he joined them.

"Not nice. Late." Shane said. His helmet opened, revealing his sad face. "Too late."

"Hey Shane…it wasn't your fault." Dustin said, putting a hand on Shane's shoulder.

"Yeah Shane. I saw him. The guy attacked Triplicate. You can't be everywhere at once. He made his choice." Hunter said.

"Then why does it suck so much?" Shane asked.

"Because that's the way we…" Cam said, and then his eyes were drawn to movement. "What the?"

The pieces of Triplicate flew up and with a bright red flash Triplicate was back.

"It's gonna suck even more!" Triplicate said, now a menacing crimson red, his blue and green parts now black.

"He regenerated!" Shane said, snapping his helmet closed again.

"I did more then that! I'm more powerful then ever!" Triplicate said, as he pulled out his rings, which were now spiked. "Thank you Rangers! Here's my own special appreciation!"

And Triplicate tossed out his rings, which whirled and flew on either side of the Rangers. The spiked points glowed and then the Rangers were barraged by laser blasts, all of them going down as explosions racked the ground and their bodies. The rings flew back to Triplicate.

"I'd love to stay and continue this, but I do have other duties! But next time, it ends! See you around!" Triplicate said, and then he teleported away with a bright flash.

"Ow…he was right…this does suck…" Blake said as he staggered to his feet, his comrades mirroring his pained motions.

"I hate it when they blast us, gloat, and leave." Tori said.

"I second that." Hunter said.

"I THIRD it." Dustin groaned, rubbing his neck.

"We better return to Ninja Ops. Who knows when that thing will return, or what it'll be packing next time." Cam said.

And the Rangers did so, calling upon their training and abilities to make great blurring leaps into the horizon as they headed back to home base.

For a moment, silence.

And then the air blurred and the redhead appeared from the shadows in a corner, bringing his arm down from where he had it positioned. He was still scuffed up, but that was from the first blast. What the second blast had hit was an illusion. As much as it pained him, he knew that he couldn't fight whatever kind of monster that had been, so he had hidden in the corner.

Rage, hate, and under that, shame, burned through him, as he stalked over and seized up his backpack, lifting the heavy carrying case like it was a cardboard box. He looked after where those costumed ones had gone…the ones whom he had sensed to be ninjas. There was a connection.

They owed him some answers.

And he was off after them, utilizing the same jumping/warp technique. He wasn't going to get left behind by a bunch of amateurs, even if they had fancy costumes.

* * *

"Hey, whazzup my homies?" Cyber Cam said as the Rangers walked in.

"Hey Cyber Cam. That's it for now. Stand down."

"What? Man that's whack…" the cybernetic duplicate complained as he disappeared.

"Welcome back my students." Sensei Watanabe said as his students, out of their battle gear and now clad in their black "school uniforms" came in. "I sense you had some difficulty in your battle."

"Yeah, the monster sprung a grow back trick on us, but we'll be ready for him next time, he hasn't seen…" Dustin said.

"I meant in regards to your supposed inability." The ninja master trapped in the body of a rodent said, as he hopped over to where Shane had sat down. "Shane, I sense your heart is heavy with what occurred."

"I should have been able to do something. But I got confused…by the time I recovered it had happened…" Shane said. "I'm the leader of this team, I shouldn't have been so thrown."

"Shane, I know you would do everything in your power to help. Do not see this as a tragedy that you should be blamed for, but an opportunity to learn that cannot do everything, even as a Power Ranger."

"Does it ever go away Sensei?"

"…No. But eventually your burden, so heavy now, will…"

And then the hamster stopped, his nose twitching.

"Someone is in here."

"What?" Shane said, looking up.

"What? Dad, what do you mean?"

"I sense a presence."

"Lothor?" Hunter said, reaching for his morpher.

"No…not Lothor…but there is someone here."

"Where? I don't see anything!" Dustin said.

"Do not look with your eyes Dustin. Look within. There is someone here."

"Your skills are as sharp as ever, Sensei Watanbe."

And the air shimmered again and the redhead appeared near the doorway, his backpack at his feet.

"YOU!" Shane said.

"No way, I thought he was destroyed!" Blake said.

"AH! ZOMBIE!" Dustin freaked.

"Be calm Dustin. This is no zombie. It is clear that his destruction never occurred except in your eyes." Sensei Watanbe. He looked at the redhead.

"Ok…he wasn't blown to bits. Who are you?" Hunter asked.

"Yeah, and how did you find our base?" Dustin added.

"And what do you want?" Shane said, standing up as the rangers grouped together, ready for a fight if that was what the redhead wanted.

And then the redhead looked at Cam, cocking his head.

"New faces abound…but some things stay the same…hello Cameron."

And Cam's eyes widened as memories came rushing back, as his eyes filled with recognition.

"……Jacinto."

To Be Continued.


End file.
